The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-01-14
The ORGANIZED LABOR
OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
MORE SUCCE SsFUL
Because more Vigorous than Ever
Before-The Apprenticeship Sys-
tem-Histery Of Strikes.

ALBANY. N. Y, JANUARY 1S.-The
fourth annual report of the Bureau
OF Statistics of Labor was submitted
to the Legislature last evening, and
will make volume of 500 or more
pages. In his Introductory remsrks,
Commissioner Peck says: The year
1885 has witnessed a more profound
and Tar more extended agitation
among the members of Organized
labor than any previous year 10 the
history OF our country, and while such
agitation in our own State has not
been characterized by the wholly un-
warranted and criminal excuses that
startled with horror the populace OF
several of the Western cities, it has
nevertheless: been earnest and pro-
nounced. With but rare exceptions
organized labor has continued in this
State with greater success and vigor
that ever before to agitate, to strike
and to boycott during the past year,
and 1886 will be remembered as one
Of the greatest importance in the bat
tie waged between capital and labor,
the signal failures and successes of
which will not be lost or fail to serve
as lessons of value to the student of
Y social and economical questions.
The subject OF spprentic ship ia
treated at great length and in most
exhaustive manner. Among other
things, the Commissi rner says, in dis
cussing the question: GAS a very
feature of the labor ques-
ton, it has been found expedient anu
necessary to look into our spp,ent &C.
ship system-the means at hand of
renewing and perpetuating our labor
supply. The broad result is that we
are largely dep ndeut upon foreign
skill and labor. Our supply Of native
mechanics is daily augmented by the
skilled labor of Europe, and while this
foreign element ia not equal to the
skilled labor which is retained in
Europe, it is in the main vastly gu eri
or to that produced in our own coun-
q try. Whether unrestricted immigra-
ton be or be not a national blessing,
\ may be disputed, but visit to tue
workshops OF the State will demon
strate the truthfulness of the state
ment that the large msjority OF our
tradesmen and mechanics are foreign
4 ers. Indeed, in many trades and in
dustrial establishments there is not
single American at work. Nearly all
positions of trust and responsibility
in the mechanical departments, are in
the hands of foreign born workers,
and most OF the boys and young man
learning trades are either foreign
1 born or tbs sons OF foreign born work.
| ers. And the opinion is now very
| generally expire ssed and accepted that
most of the labor trobules of the last
few years have been precipitsted, not
by whole trades, but by sections of
them, and that these sections were
largely controlled by foreigners, or
natives who had f,om association i'm
bibed foreign ideas OF the labor ques-
ton"
The Commissioner then discusses
the American objections to apprentice
ing boys and the consequent failure of
American labor to prevent such state
OF affairs as is mentioned above. He
argues in favor of manual training as
q means of keeping up the supply of
trained labor and preventing the COM
FN1g man from becoming the slave OF
the machine. The conclusion which
the Commissioner arrives at in regard
to "shorter hours OF labor" are thus
summed up: "As predicted in the last
report OF this bureau, a very general
movement was made on the first day
of May last looking to the reduction
of the hours of labor from ten to eight
hours per day. The organ cations OF
New York and Brooklyn seem to have
acted more in concert than those Of
other cities in the State, and we're by
far more successful, having won ma
iority of the cases where demands
were made. l is true that while a
large percentage of all engaged in the
movement asked for reduction of
two hours day very many of the or
CARNATIONS did it with view OF COM
promising On nine hours as days
work"
He next gives the history OF the
leading strikes in the State during the
year, notably those in the Troy laun-
dries, the sugar refncries and on the
street railroad. The Losses by these
different strikes, boycotts, etc, he is
unable to give in total, but fifty-eight
firms alone report an aggregate OF 49,
$4,000. On the other hand the losses
of wages to striking employees are rep
resented by the sum of So, 1858, l91. This
amount carries the conviction that Ia
Dor deserves to succeed in cause for
which it is willing to make such sacri-
fces. When the question Of strikes
and kind ed labor troubles is aDalyzs sd |
in calm and uispsssionate spirit it |
will be discovered that there is q great |
deal of error in the public mind re-
gardipg it. Employee, as rule, as.
sert that striking is not under any cir
cumstances jastifsble, contending
that wages would ultimately and
increase without them.
Indeed, they manifest a desire
to ignore the subject altogether, and
only to give it attention when they
are compelled. From the trade I'M
ionist's standpoint, however, there is
ample justification for this weapon,
though they are reluctant to use it,
and as the organizations grow older,
they only resort to it when they have
been ignored and compelled to use it
in self defense. The closing portion
of the report is devoted to q consider
alton of the Saturday half holiday
movement, the success attending the
sgitaiion oi tthe subject and the 6ene-
fits derived from it.